Unwavering
by Disney United
Summary: Cinderella has escaped to her favorite spot in the palace, trying to steel herself to tell the love of her life some tragic news, which she believes will break their relationship.


Cinderella was rather fond of flowers; she always had been. When she was younger, under her stepmother's rule, she would sneak out at every chance she got to the meadow, where dozens of types of flowers grew. She learned the names of them, and under what conditions they thrived. It was something that brought her great joy, and opportunities to be happy were few and far between in those days.

Of all the flowers though, she liked sunflowers best. There was something special about those sturdy golden flowers that made her feel extra warm inside.

Therefore, it was not surprising—that when presented with an entire section of the royal gardens at the palace she now resided with her Prince Charming—she decided to fill it to the brim with the large flowers. It wasn't surprising either, that when she was feeling down, she'd escape to her little world.

She had been spending a lot of time in there, as of late. She would often sit on her favorite bench, wearing a comfortable dress, letting the wind blow through her hair. She wouldn't allow herself to cry, though, in spite of everything. She felt that crying wouldn't help anything; it would only serve to make people concerned about her, and she hated it when people hovered over her, acting all worried.

So she would sit in the garden, feeling the warm sun on her face, trying to find happiness.

One day, however, she allowed herself to succumb to tears. She didn't cry wracking sobs, or anything like that. The tears merely cascaded down her face, silently.

The servants of the palace had never seen her behave like that before, and ergo, they weren't sure what to do. So they did the only thing they could do: Call upon her husband.

"Cinderella?" a soft voice called. The young princess froze, holding her breath. "Cinderella?" the voice called again, this time slightly louder.

She jumped into action, quickly wiping the tears from her face. When she felt presentable enough, she called out, trying to use her voice to guide her husband through the maze that was the gardens.

"I'm here."

Hardly a few seconds had passed before his face appeared from behind the pillars of sunflowers. He smiled at her, his blue eyes heart wrenchingly kind. Just seeing him made Cinderella feel like crying once again, but she held herself back.

Prince Charmant was observant, though. Immediately he was by her side, wrapping an arm around her. He hug was gentle, his hand coming to rest on the back of her head. She fought him for a second, before letting her head fall onto his shoulder.

"Ella," he whispered into her strawberry-blond hair, his hand gently caressing the soft strands. Cinderella made a choking sound at the nickname, more tears coming to her eyes. "Come on...speak to me. What is wrong?"

"I...I can't..."

"Please," he whispered, pulling back so that he would be able to look her in the eye. However, she had squeezed her eyes shut and was biting her bottom lip. "Please talk to me."

"If I tell you..." she took a deep breath, as though she was trying to steel herself for something. "If I tell you, you will...not want to be married to me any longer."

He stared at her, his face completely blank, before laughing. His laugh was so sudden and unexpected that Cinderella jumped. He continued to laugh, gripping his stomach.

She stared at him in shock. "What...why on Earth are you laughing?!"

He smiled at her, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye. "It's just so ridiculous. I would never want to divorce you."

Cinderella didn't seem reassured. In fact, her face collapsed again, as she buried her face in her hands. Prince Charmant's face shone with confusion, as he set a hand on her back. "I don't understa-"

"I went to the healer in the village," she whispered, her shoulders quivering slightly. "I told her...about the problems we've been having..."

Prince Charmant swallowed, though he continued to rub her back. "I'm sure everything is fine," he reassured her, but the words seemed weak, even to his own ears.

"She said..." Cinderella sobbed suddenly, throwing her arms around her husband's shoulders. "She said..." she whispered into his shoulder, "that I am...barren..."

The prince could only hold her as she cried. He knew no words to comfort her, to make her feel better, so he did the only thing he knew how to do: He stroked her hair, like one would a cat's, trying to calm her down.

Eventually, her sobs trickled off, leaving only her gasping breaths to break the silence of the garden.

"You...you need an heir...the kingdom...needs an heir..." she breathed. "That's why...that's why you NEED to divorce me-"

"You are insane, if you think something like that would make me want to divorce you," Prince Charmant whispered.

Cinderella pulled back, her face full of shock. "Wha-"

"I love you," he said plainly, placing a hand on his heart. "And that love is unwavering."

Cinderella cleared her throat. "But the kingdom needs-"

"Eventually, the kingdom will need an heir, I admit. The rules, however, do not say anything about where the heir must come from."

Cinderella's face fell briefly, remembering the stories of the harem girls of the Middle East, but almost immediately she washed all emotion from her face. For the kingdom she loved, she would sacrifice everything.

"Therefore..." the prince continued, "whenever you feel ready, we can go to the orphanage in the village, and adopt our child."

Cinderella's head whipped up, her eyes widening. Then a smile, the first true smile that had graced her face in a long time, fell upon her lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck in a smothering hug.

"I love you, I love you so much, " she repeated over and over again.

Prince Charmant smiled, at seeing the woman he loved so happy. That was honestly his favorite thing in the world to see.

It was almost as if the sun had suddenly broke through the thin white clouds, casting golden light over the garden of the sunflowers, and the two inhabitants, wrapped up in their love.

**_A/N *sobs* I really loved this. Of all the canon Disney pairings, this has to be one of my favorites! I loved all three movies (though I will admit...the second one was my favorite). And though this was sad, it was also happy and...OMG they're just so cute!_**

**_Well...anyway, if you have any Disney story that you would like written, don't hesitate to tell me about it!_**

**_Please review!_**


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